During the late medieval period, cotton became known as an imported fiber in northern Europe, without any knowledge of how it was derived, other than that it was a plant. BecauseHerodotushad written in hisHistories, Book III, 106, that in India trees grew in the wild producing wool, it was assumed that the plant was a tree, rather than a shrub. This aspect is retained in the name for cotton in several Germanic languages, such as GermanBaumwolle, which translates as "tree wool" . Noting its similarities to wool, people in the region could only imagine that cotton must be produced by plant-borne sheep.John Mandeville, writing in 1350, stated as fact that "There grew there a wonderful tree which bore tiny lambs on the endes of its branches. These branches were so pliable that they bent down to allow the lambs to feed when they are hungry." By the end of the 16th century, cotton was cultivated throughout the warmer regions in Asia and the Americas.

Cotton manufacture was introduced to Europe during theMuslim conquest of the Iberian Peninsulaand Sicily. The knowledge of cotton weaving was spread to northern Italy in the 12th century, whenSicily was conquered by the Normans, and consequently to the rest of Europe. Thespinning wheel, introduced to Europe circa 1350, improved the speed of cotton spinning.By the 15th century,Venice,Antwerp, andHaarlemwere important ports for cotton trade, and the sale and transportation of cotton fabrics had become very profitable.